


Rooftop Refuge

by badly_knitted



Category: FAKE (Manga)
Genre: Anger, Attempted Murder, Community: fan_flashworks, Crime Scenes, Crimes & Criminals, Detectives, Drama, Established Relationship, Gun Violence, M/M, Partnership, Smoking, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 22:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30062535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badly_knitted/pseuds/badly_knitted
Summary: Dee and Ryo have caught a really nasty case involving multiple shootings, so Dee makes for the precinct roof to cool off before questioning the shooter.
Relationships: Dee Laytner/Randy "Ryo" MacLean
Comments: 2
Collections: fan_flashworks





	Rooftop Refuge

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Challenge 322: Roof at fan_flashworks. 
> 
> Contains descriptions of violence.
> 
> Setting: After the manga.

Being a nicotine addict was no picnic, especially now that smoking in workplaces had been banned. When Dee needed a smoke, he had to either traipse all the way downstairs and stand outside where everyone could see him and the non-smokers could heckle him for skiving off when he should be working, or sneak up onto the roof of the stationhouse, out of sight and out of mind. Unsurprisingly, he preferred the latter.

For one thing, it wasn’t so far to go, a single flight up instead of several down. That also meant he could be alone with his thoughts most of the time because smokers from the lower floors generally went downstairs. There was a sheltered spot around the back of the building out of the prevailing wind, and a lot of the guys would gather there to chat while they satisfied their nicotine cravings.

The roof, on the other hand, was exposed to the elements, always draughty, and lighting a cig could be tricky on windy days, but Dee could always light up in the stairwell before venturing out, or duck down behind the retaining wall. As a long-time smoker he knew a few tricks for lighting up in inclement weather. If it was raining he could stand just inside the stairwell housing, blowing his smoke out the open door, unless it was one of those days when he didn’t much care whether or not he got wet. Most of the time though, if the weather allowed, he preferred to lean on the retaining wall while he smoked, gazing out across the city and letting his thoughts wander.

The view was familiar by now, and comforting in a way, especially on days when the job was making him feel particularly stressed. A few hits of nicotine and that mostly unchanging panorama were usually enough to soothe him and help him regain his equilibrium, arming him to cope with the pressures that came with being part of the 27th precinct’s Serious Crimes Unit.

Today was no exception, and if he was honest, he needed the fresh, cold air even more than he needed the cigarette, if only to clear the stench of blood from his nose. Murder scenes were never a pretty sight, but this one… 

The offices had looked like a slaughterhouse, blood and bodies everywhere. Some nerdy junior clerk, still wet behind the ears, had flipped out, pulled a high-powered automatic pistol out of his backpack, and opened fire. According to witnesses, he’d apparently been shooting at random, emptying the gun, then reloading and firing again. Miraculously, so far there was only one fatality, one of the senior clerks who, ironically, had only been grazed by a bullet but had subsequently suffered a massive heart attack brought on by fear and high blood pressure. Eleven other people were injured though, seven badly enough to require major surgery, and at least three of them would likely be headed for intensive care, although the last he’d heard it was touch and go whether or not they’d survive the surgery.

The shooter himself had tried to get away but had been apprehended by a couple of uniforms less than two blocks from the scene. Fortunately for them, by that time he’d been out of ammunition. Now he was downstairs, cuffed to the table in interrogation, cooling his heels until the investigating officers, Dee and Ryo in this case, were ready to question him. 

Dee wasn’t, not yet. He was still too angry and knew he needed to calm down first, he’d be no use interrogating anyone until he got a grip on his temper, so as soon as he and Ryo had arrived back from viewing the crime scene, and questioning witnesses and the least seriously injured of the victims, he’d come up here to the roof, hoping a cigarette and the cold, fresh air would serve to settle him down enough to do his job without giving in to an overwhelming urge to beat that snot-nosed kid to a pulp.

He was miles away, gazing into the distance without really registering what he was seeing, when a familiar voice spoke behind him.

“Hey. Thought I might find you up here. You okay?”

“Dumb question.” Dee glanced over his shoulder at his partner. “Are you?”

Walking over to join Dee, Ryo set the two mugs he was carrying on the parapet and shrugged, smiling wryly.

“As okay as anyone can be after that, I guess.”

“There’s your answer then.” Dee drew in a lungful of smoke and let it out slowly, eyes half closed. “Kid can’t be more than nineteen, twenty; what’s he got to be so mad about that attemptin’ to slaughter everyone he works with seems like a reasonable course of action?”

“I wouldn’t know, you’d have to ask him that.”

“Plannin’ on it, but I doubt we’ll get any kind of rational answer outta him. He doesn’t just have a few screws loose, he’s a frickin’ psycho!”

“Yeah.” Ryo leaned beside Dee, elbows resting on the rough, pitted brickwork, picked up one of the mugs, and took a sip.

“Coffee’s probably not the best idea if you’re feelin’ as stressed as I am,” Dee pointed out.

“I know; that’s why I made tea.”

“Oh. Good choice.” Taking a final drag on his cigarette, Dee stubbed it out on the weatherworn bricks and reached for the other mug. He far preferred coffee, but there were times when tea was exactly what he needed, and this definitely counted as one of those times. Cradling the mug between cold hands, he sipped slowly, mirroring Ryo, elbows resting on the top of the wall as he stared out at the city, still not really seeing what was there, images of the crime scene filling his head.

Beside him, Ryo sipped his tea and spoke. “We’ll probably need a psych consult on this one, so I put in a call to Doc Mackenna. He’s on his way; wants to observe the interrogation, so we’ve got maybe a half hour before he gets here.”

Dee nodded. “Should be long enough.” He fell silent for several minutes, then… “I really want this guy.”

“We already know he’s guilty, we’ve got security camera footage of the whole incident, and we can charge him with manslaughter over the guy who died, but a confession would be nice.”

“Any news from the hospital on the others?”

“Nothing before I came up here. I talked to Ted at the hospital; the ones with minor injuries have been treated and are doing okay but the rest were still in surgery. He said he’d call as soon as he knew anything.”

“I wanna throw the book at the bastard, get him for premeditated murder, but at the same time I don’t want any of the injured to die. They don’t deserve that. Most of ‘em have families, people who love them, even depend on them…” Dee trailed off, setting his empty mug down and running one hand through his hair. “I need another cig.”

“Times like this, I almost wish I smoked.” Ryo glanced sidelong at his partner.

“You can have one of mine if ya want.” Dee frowned at the packet in his hand. “Or ya could if this wasn’t my last one.” With a sigh, he shoved the packet and its lone cigarette back in his pocket. “I smoke too much anyway. Better save that one for after the interrogation; got a feelin’ I’ll need it then more than I do right now.” 

“Try taking a few deep breaths?” Ryo suggested.

“Worth a go.” Dee drew the chilly air deep into his lungs, letting it out slowly, did it a second time, then a third, and shook his head. “Nope, doesn’t help, it’s not the same; I still wanna rip that psycho sonofabitch’s lungs out through his nose.”

Ryo smiled faintly. “I think that’s physically impossible.”

“Maybe, but I could give it a damned good try.”

“I guess, but the Chief might take a dim view of it if you did. It would make a mess, and you know he frowns on that kind of thing.”

“Yeah, good point, I don’t wanna wind up on report; I’ve been doin’ so well lately.” Dee huffed a sigh. “Too bad, might’ve been very therapeutic. For me at least.” Pushing himself upright, he picked up his empty mug and discarded cigarette butt. “Whelp, guess we should show willin’. I just gotta hit the head before we start with the interrogation; got a feelin’ we might be in there quite a while.”

“Want me to make some more tea?”

Dee nodded. “Yeah, that would be good.”

Walking side by side they left the roof, ready to do their jobs; they had a confession to get on tape.

The End


End file.
